Paul’s Blog

                                                     Book Review: Hatchet

      “He was not the same. The plane passing changed him; the disappointment cut him down and made him new. He was not the same and would never be again like he had been. That was one of the true things, the new things. And the other one was the he would not die, he would not let death in again.” This is one of the most hard-hitting quotes in the whole story. The plane flies over and he is still stranded.

      The main character in Hatchet, Brian Robeson, is a thirteen-year-old boy from New York City. This novel deals with themes of man and nature as well as of self-awareness, mainly through Brian’s experiences living alone in the wild. Brian in the beginning is very angry and short tempered but by the end of the story he learns to grow with the wilderness and is more mild mannered.

      Brian Robeson, a thirteen-year-old from New York City, boards a plan headed from Hampton, New York to the Canadian north woods to visit his father. On the way there the plane crashes in the middle of a lake and Brian is stranded. Brian has little to eat and is injured from the crash, but believes he will soon be rescued. Brian soon catches his first fish and enjoys a big feast. A tornado hits the forest and Brian realizes that it made the water recedes. He grabs a survival kit out of the plane and lives on that.

     The theme of the story is about how it is man versus nature. We can either live harmlessly with it or we can fight it. Many of Gary Paulson’s books are based around this theme.

     I think this had to be one of the best books I have ever read. The ending is great and the whole book is filled with suspense.

                           Veterans

       Veterans mean so much for our country and a lot to me. They have given their lives for us and we only give a day for them. I believe they should be given a week for the years they have given for us across seas. They sacrifice their whole lives to fight for their country.

        I believe a week should be given to the veterans for the years they could have spent in Iraq, Germany, and in the Vietnam. They gave up a chance to go to college or even to be with their wives at home. One day is not enough to commemorate all the fallen and still alive soldiers and ex-soldiers.

       Their lives were severely changed by the war they were in. They decided that they wanted to serve our country and I am extremely proud of them for doing that. Sometimes they were forced to go into a war like in the Vietnam War. And when they went and gave their lives for us I feel honored just to be talking about such people.

      In all I think Veterans Day is one holiday that is over looked and many people forget about. I think we should honor it more than just one day off but a week. Well those are my point of view on Veterans Day. 

       Love and suffering seem like complete opposites but I think in the world today they are almost the same thing. People think love is having a lot of money or being in love with their girlfriend. With loving materials and not with God I think you are suffering.

       Many people go through their lives just trying to earn money.This drive for money makes you materialistic. They think money will make then happy when the felling will be gone soon. I feel bad for people who follow the materials because they will never feel the feeling of being whole. The only way you can feel the feeling of being whole is by excepting Jesus Christ as your savior and only then is when you will be happy on the inside forever. These materialistic people will never be completely happy.

       Often people think they are in love with their boyfriend or girlfriend when you are only in love with the lust. In this society there is a 70% divorce rate. Many people have pre-marital sex and that isn’t what God wants. God says first find a spiritual connection, then an emotional connection, and then a physical connection in that order. Only then will you have a relationship that will last. God has a path that your relationship should stay on and if you skip off the path it is then when you will have problems. When they are older the lust will be gone and so will the emotional attachment.

       So I feel there is almost no difference between love and suffering. With today we cannot find love and I think without true love it is always suffering. The only way to be rid of eternal suffering is through God and Christ.

       I am so grateful for a living in such a great country. This country is so substantial because of our freedom.  Without freedom we would be another 3^rd world country. We have freedom of religion, assembly, press, and countless others.

       Having freedom of religion is one of the greatest things on this earth. In Saudi Arabia Islam is the official religion. They will not allow you to gather to talk about any religion but Islam. Many people that do not believe in their religion and many people are martyred. Being able to gather and talk about our religion is a huge reason this country is so extraordinary.

      Many countries will have u arrested for gathering in groups with more than four people. The government controls all groups in other countries. We can gather in as large of a group as we want as long as we are peaceful. We may petition and protest as much as we want without being arrested.

      In many countries the government controls the media. We live in a free media country. We can show what ever we want without fear of the government shutting us down or putting us in jail. We are even allowed to show facts that are not true without being in trouble with the government.

      In the end our country is the best country on the face of the Earth. We are given so many freedoms and we take it for granted. Please be thankfull for what we have.